Unlikely Frienship
by Kitty-on-CRACK
Summary: A small Hufflepuff girl, daughter of a Squib makes the most unlikely of friends in the Slytherin Heir
1. Unlikely Enrollment

**Unbreakable Friendships**

The tiny little girl who looked more like an eight year old than an 11 year old waited patiently for her chance to get on the Hogwarts Express. She had already changed into her Hogwarts robes and handed her second hand trunk over to the conductor and only carried a brown sack and a cage with her black fluff ball of a kitten in it with a singular piece of string with a bell attached to keep Hel entertained.

Finally, there was a chance for her to board the train and she immediately headed to the last car, looking for an empty compartment and reached one, opening the door as quickly as she could to duck in, only to be dismayed the compartment was not actually empty, but there was a boy reading in the blind spot. She blushed, hair growing longer to hide it, and murmured an apology before backing out and hastily shutting the door to make a barrier between her and the Slytherin boy before back-peddling and searching for another. She found an open compartment diagonal of the one she had embarrassingly almost entered and quickly sat, tucking herself into a ball on the seat opposite of the window so she could stare out it while she took out Hel out of her plain carrier and started playing with the munchkin kitten quietly, praying that they would be left alone to their own devices.

Sadly, about thirty minutes later, her compartment door opened and the same Slytherin boy who she had walked in on earlier was standing there. He walked in with a since of purpose and sat down opposite of her before opening his book, _Horrifying Creatures and Their Uses_ , and opened it up, but he didn't read it, Instead he studied her and finally opened his mouth when the door of the compartment opened, making her jump and him shut his mouth with a quiet clicking sound of teeth, "Anything from the trolley dears?" A young woman asked them, smiling kindly. The girl timidly shook her head, eyes flashing colors and the boy answered with a crisp "No thank you" and a smile and face that would make the most beautiful angel jealous.

The woman nodded with a smile and closed the door of the compartment as silence fell over the two occupants again. She started playing with Hel again before he spoke, "You're a metamorphmagous aren't you?" She jerked and looked at him, eyes wide. "Well, it's not like you can hide it very well," he said, eyes glinting with interest, "how much can you change of yourself?"

She tried to talk, but had to clear her throat first, "Um, a bit. Hair, eyes, skin, nose, but it's hard to hold all at once." She said softly, twitching in her seat as his eyes scrutinized her.

After her answer, he seemingly dismissed her and she timidly went back to playing with Hel for the rest of the trip, not noticing his eyes lifting to watch her more than once.

.

After pulling into the station she regretfully put Hel back into the cage and with a whisper of "keep her safe" passed her to a house elf who had greeted her with a bow and a "What can Plipsy do for you misses?"

The boy had already exited the train by the time she had looked up, she had no idea of his name but was sure she'd eventually found out in the seven years she would be at Hogwarts but wasn't sure if she wanted to know it.

She exited the train and caught site of the carriages that pulled the older students and smiled sadly at the Threstals who were pulling the carts effortlessly before having her attention called to an older gentleman with bright green eyes and a thick Irish borough, "Fis' years this way! Here we go, come on. Oi, lass, hurry up, we haven't got all night!"

She was broken from her thoughts and quickly raced forward to catch up with the others and fell into line behind a boy with startling blonde hair and a pair of twin girls with tanned skin, black hair, and almond eyes.

"Passing under mercury tonight is a good sign," the blonde said softly, blue eyes lighting up, "unbreakable friendship will form tonight to face the worst of hardships later on..."

The twins giggled and one pulled her into the boat with the three of them, they road across the lake in silence, taking in the beauty and admired the view of the castle that came into play. They would spend the next seven years of their lives there and in a few moments it would be time to discover what their new home was like.

The jolly man, whom they discovered to be Mr. Carver, the groundskeeper, led them up the castle steps and to a man with an impressive beard and twinkling blue eyes.

"I am deputy headmaster Albus Dumbledore, in a few moments you will enter the great hall and your lives will be changed forever. You will be sorted and will make new friends, new beginnings, and begin your education as wizards and witches within these great halls, all I can tell you is good luck and babababananana."

She raised an eyebrow at that and ignored the mutterings of students as she curiously looked around and inched closer to the blonde boy when the doors to the great hall opened and they were let inside.

Four tables were lined up, each with the house emblems on banisters and tapestries hanging above them. The green, yellow, blue, and red all stood out in their own way. Green, since it was the darkest, yellow, since it was ridiculously bright, blue since it was centered, and red due to the boldness, each seemed to reflect the house it represented personality if the song the hat sang meant anything

 _I may not look like much,_

 _But I'll tell you now to hush_

 _I can see inside your head_

 _And I'll know you better than you will when all your hair has shed_

 _Let me see inside your mind_

 _So I may place you with your kind_

 _Gryffindor which is surrounded by the best of lore,_

 _A house where you must be true in your very core_

 _Ravenclaw, where the smartest gather,_

 _And talk so their brains may get fatter._

 _Hufflepuff where the best of friends lounge about,_

 _So close none their loyalty doubt._

 _Slytherin where ambitions grow,_

 _And create benefits from which they sow._

 _Let me take a peek,_

 _You will not be viewed as weak_

 _Now put me on_

 _As soon as I finish this song._

Adams, Weddington! GRYFFINDOR

Battlewise, Marshal! RAVENCLAW

Birch, Mildred! RAVENCLAW

Creevy, Milton! HUFFLEPUFF

Greengrass, Harold! SLYTHERIN

Ilwart, Clayton! RAVENCLAW

Imperial, Abigail! GRYFFINDOR

Imperial, Katelyn! SLYTHERIN

Jewell, Hyde! GRYFFINDOR

Lovegood, Zephier! RAVENCLAW

Lost, Althia!

It was her turn, the twins and blonde boy had just went, all being sorted into different houses right after he claimed they would make the best of friends. She slowly made her way up to the front where the hat was, bangs growing to help conceal her face. Everyone in the wizarding world knew what the last name Lost meant; it meant a squib or the family of a squib that had been disowned by their magical family, it was universal knowledge now that she was one in roughly 600 that had magic reactivate in the blood. Soon, different families would be inquiring of the family name before being thrown from the wizarding society as a pariah, especially if they learn of her metamorph abilities, which they surely would due to her poor control over her emotions. Rejuvenated magical blood, no matter how diluted by muggles, was sought after, her father had warned her as much.

She sat on the stool and made eye contact with the boy from the train right before the hat lowered onto her head and a voice echoed through her mind as though she were underwater, "Hmmm… timid but for good reason, smart, very smart but not too studious so not Ravenclaw…you have ambitions but not the sort that would allow you to enter Slytherin and you're too tame for the likes of Gryffindor though I expect great bravery one day..that leaves your longing for friends…HUFFLEPUFF!"

She rose from the stool and headed to the Hufflepuff table, they were applauding outrageously as furious whispers from other houses broke out and she timidly walked to the closest open seat next to Milton, who's large, thick glasses and looked at her with uncertainty but a timid smile, which Althia tentatively returned before looking past the prefect opposite of her to the Slytherin boy who was still staring at her with interest before his attention was diverted to a blonde boy who made a wide gesture. Althia broke eye contact and looked around her, not hearing the other names until a "Zabini, Matteo" was sorted into RAVENCLAW and Headmaster Dippit made a short welcome speech and then food appeared at the end.

Her eyes went wide at the sheer amount of food and she waited until Milton nudged her and asked if she was hungry before taking a chicken breast, some broccoli, sweet potatoes, and a roll to eat when the prefect across from her began a conversation, "I don't think Hufflepuff has had a Lost in 70 years."

Althia shrugged, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation and was grateful when the prefect began a conversation with the girl next to him. She ate slowly and surely until the end of the night, when the tables were dismissed to introduce the new students to their common rooms.

Althia tiredly got up and tripped over her robe and closed her eyes, ready for the impact of the heard floor but was jerked back by the back of her collar and met grey-blue eyes before they disappeared into the crowd of Slytherins and from her sight.

 **A/N: Review please!**


	2. Unlikely Alliance (Part 1)

**Unlikely Alliance (Part 1)  
**

Althia made it through the first week of school unscathed. Her schedule was hectic and changed almost daily; sharing all her classes with Ravenclaws bedsides a few electives where Slytherins and Gryffindors were added into the mix. She went through classes, trying hard not to show any emotions or weakness and not let anyone know of her personal life besides Zephier, Abby, and Katie, and all they knew was her father worked for the majesties navy and her mother had passed away when she was four and was predominantly raised by her godparents while her father was away.

She sat in the library at a table tucked away in the very unused muggle studies section with Hel on her lap, stretched out in the most awkward of ways that didn't allow for Althia to readjust and scratch the itch that had been bothering her for the past ten minutes or move her left leg, which had been tucked underneath her since sitting down over an hour ago and she was sure it was asleep and it would be pins and needles when standing on it.

She was working on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. The professor was an older crotchety male who was incredibly rude and Milton had made the mistake of asking him to repeat himself as his rant on various curses with the tamest of which would leave one covered in painful boils and the worst gutting someone as their skin was peeled back. Professor Stinup was enraged and bellowed to the class their homework assignment: to find the most obscure curse they could and write a ten paragraph essay on before the following class.

Althia had chosen to write about _calefacta apparet ingenium_ , which when cast would literally make a person's brain overheat until it melted down, creating a type of watery mashed potatoes consistency that made it drain out the person's nose. The ancient Egyptians were thought to be the first to create the concept for mummification. However since magic itself had changed so much due to Merlin that an incantation was necessary later on.

There was only one problem with using this curse: she just couldn't remember the creator's name. Althia knew that using this curse for her essay would possibly give her ancestry away since it was from one of the books her father had stolen when he was kicked out of the family mansion. The book was one out of 12 in existence; left from Morgana Le Fey's teachings and experiments with various partners. Thankfully Hogwarts had a copy as well in the restricted section. She could probably get away with it as long as she remembered the information correctly. Hence why she started on the project immediately so she'd be able to hopefully remember the name before it was due.

She was three paragraphs in when someone set their books down at her table. She paused and glanced up and startled even more when the Slytherin who sat across from her on the train, she now knew to be Tom Riddle from the whispers of awe and fear that surrounded him in the halls. After regaining her composure she quirked an eyebrow at him, as if she was asking what he was doing there.

He didn't answer in any way or even acknowledge that she was there at all. Althia rolled her eyes and pet Hel before picking her up and shifting her weight finally grimacing as her leg that was asleep was finally stretched out. Pins and needles.

She rolled her left leg and finally scratched her right calf before settling into her seat again and putting Hel back on her lap and turning to her parchment….which was not there.

Her head shot up to the interested hum that came across the table and a wicked smirk met her eyes before Tom Riddle looked up, "Now I do believe I know who you are.


	3. Unlikely Alliance (Part II)

**Unlikely Alliance (Part II)  
**

Althia felt her eyebrows raise before schooling her features, "And? What, do you want a prize?"

Riddle's unsettling smirk turned into a wide shark smile, "Actually, not so much a prize. Rather a contract."

Althia stared at him in shock, "What?"

"A contact for a mutual relationship. I make sure your ancestry isn't discovered without it benefiting you, and you appear as a 'equal' of mine to others. A 'friend' of sorts if you will."

"So you'll help me…while I give your appearance a sense of normalcy you protect me until it benefits me? Or until it benefits you? How can I even be sure you actual know which house I'm from? At least eight have definite confirmations of metamorphmagous' in the past five generations, and that's in Great Britain alone. As for this curse, well several families have that information."

Riddle's grin grew, "Yet only one family has both of these rare coincidences. Do you really want the world to know already? Are you ready to be reclaimed by them as they prevent you from seeing your father again? After all, he's still just a squib to them."

Althia narrowed her eyes, "And how would you prevent them from knowing now? As soon as I hand in my essay there will be conclusions drawn."

Riddle stood smugly and with a "Follow me" casually tossed over his shoulder he leisurely strolled out of the library.

Althia hesitated a split second before grabbing her things and rushing after him, Hel following behind her, hissing at anyone who stepped too close.

She followed Riddle's tall, proud form through the twists and turns of the castle before they stopped in front of a door she did not recognize. With her wand gripped tightly in her fingers she was tense and ready to hex him and run when he knocked on the door before turning to her with a critical eye. He then put booth of his hands in her hair, mussing it up before drawing his wand and making her yelp and throw a right hook he stepped back from as a heating spell was placed on her nose, making it run and her eyes water from the burn.

His wand disappeared and he was next to her patting her back when the door opened and Professor Slughorn appeared in lounge clothes.

"Hello hello, what's this Tom?"

"Hello Professor, might I introduce Althia Lost."

Slughorn's eyes gleamed before he frowned in concern at the sight of her, "Why yes, a pleasure it is. Do come in and let me know what's troubling you poor girl."

Althia was lead by Tom's tight grip that looked more of a fragile side hug to the couch where they both sat.

"Do you have any tea sir? She has been awfully shaky since I found her and who knows how long it's been since she was like this."

Althia wanted to laugh. Tom was a little… well, that term was not one a lady could say but it didn't mean she wasn't thinking it.

"Of course of course," Slughorn waved his wand and a teapot danced over to them along with a cup, "I do hope mint is to your liking. Now what seems to be the problem?"

Althia took a deep shuddering breath, if Riddle could act them so could she, "We have to do a report for Professor Stinup on rare curses but my d-d-dad never t-told me anything a-about our original family and their magic so they wouldn't take me away from him so I don't know a-any rare curses and I'm going to fail my first essay!" She bawled before crying and hiding herself into Riddle's side.

Tom put a hand on her shaking back, "When she told me what happened I thought we would come talk to you and see if you knew any rare curses or if she could get a supervised pass to all of the library. She doesn't have the same advantage as those raised in pureblood households or even the muggle children whose parents bought them multiple unneeded books to help adjust.. She reminds me of when I first came from the orphanage."

Slughorn sat back, concern written plainly on his face, "My dear, why didn't your father buy you books of different subjects or tell you of your heritage?"

Althia rubbed her eyes, "Well professor, my father is in his Majesties Royal Navy and with the Muggle war going on he could not see me off. He contacted an old friend of his to help me. As for not telling me I never wanted to know, so I would always stop him from telling me." Althia twiddled her thumbs, looking down at her hands sadly, "Why would I want to be taken from my father by the same people who shoved him out for being a little different? I don't think they would be very nice. They never came to visit us or pay their respects when my mother died, so why should I make papa face those who hate him and would force him to be alone again?"

Slughorn nodded solemnly as he rose from his seat, "Yes my dear, I see your point. You truly are a Hufflepuff."

Althia smiled, Slughorn, though head of the snakes, was rather sweet contradictory to the viscous whispers about the house and its occupants.

Tom smirked at her again and canceled the heating charm on her nose with a barely there whisper and flick before Slughorn turned to Althia and handed her a scroll, "Now, normally I don't let first years have a pass to the restricted section, but since Tom will be with you I know you'll be responsible. I'm sure those books have more than enough rare curses and information on them to keep Stinup happy."

Althia wiped her tears away and patted her hair down, "Thank you so much Professor."

Slughorn smiled at her, "Don't thank me child, thank Tom!"

"Oh, I will Professor."

They left Professor Slughorn after he gave Tom the pass. As they walked out the door Althia could hear Slughorn patting himself on the back for being such a mentor and having a student like Tom in his house.

"Well, what do you think of my offer? Will you take it Black?"

Althia glared at Tom, "Don't you DARE use that name again. I am a Lost, and will forever be Lost."

Tom let a combination of a smirk and sneer stretch across his face. It did not reach his eyes in the least, which were hard like steel, "Well than, _Lost,_ do you accept? This is your last chance."

Althia looked at the offered hand and reached her own out. As they shook on it she had the unshakable feeling she had made a deal with Lucifer, the fallen angel himself.

 **A/N: I'm sure y'all have noticed the timeline is a bit wonky since I want a Black as her father and Marius would have been born late… just ignore that and move his place from being 3** **rd** **born up to first born. Also I know he's supposed to have different kids and all but this is FanFiction: the Canon storyline only extends so far. The fact is I'm only putting in this note because I have readers on other stories who get offended if I don't stick to the canon…I know, I don't get it either.  
**


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